Continuous dehydrating apparatus for garbage disposal

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for continuously dehydrating garbage having a pair of belts a portion of each of which is parallel to a portion of the other, pressure means urging those portions together and drive means for the belts so that garbage is drawn between the parallel portions and whilst there is subjected to a pressure by the belts to obtain a prolonged dehydrating compression.

United States Patent Kawada 5] Mar. 14, 1972 [54] CONTINUOUS DEHYDRATING [56] References Cited APPARATUS FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor: Tadao Kawada, Fukunomachi, Japan 774,530 11/1904 Oppenheim ......100/l I8 1 Asslgneer a a Kqgyo Kflbushikfl Keisha, 780,033 1/1905 Hachmann et al. ..100/154 x Hlgashltcmaml'gun Japan 3,063,362 1 1/1962 Guettler ..100/154 [22] Filed: May 7, 1970 Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman [2]] Appl' 35523 Attorney-Steinberg & Blake [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Nov. 25, 1969 Japan ..44/94785 Apparatus for continuously dehydrating garbage having a pair Nov. 25, 1969 Japan ..44/94786 of belts a portion of each of which is parallel to a portion of the other, pressure means urging those portions together and [52] U.S. Cl ..100/l18, 100/154 dri means for the belts so that garbage is drawn between the [51] 11ft. CL 9/241 53% 5/ 04 parallel portions and whilst there is subjected to a pressure by Fleldl of Search l8, 1 l9, 152, the belts to obtain a prolonged dehydrating compression 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 3 64&59$

Patented March 14,, WW2

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VENTOR mD/m MWADA TTORNEY 5 CONTINUOUS lDEIIYlDRATING APPARATUS FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL The present invention relates in general to dehydrating apparatus for continuous operation as a pretreatment of garbage containing a large amount of water before the garbage is introduced into an incinerator, and more particularly, it aims to improve the combustion efficiency at the time of incineration as well as to prevent contaminated water in the garbage from vaporization to cause public nuisance such as air pollution.

As is well known, various wastes and garbage generated from daily social life contain a large amount of water, and this water content in the garbage greatly influences the heat volume of combustion at the time of incineration. Generally the water content differs in its volume according to each season; 40 percent in the dry season, 80 percent in the wet season and ordinarily an average of 60%. The corelations between the water content and heat value are such that garbage with 60 percent water content will yield approximately 640 KcaL/kg. heat value whereas garbage with 30 percent water content will yield approximately 1,740 KcaL/kg. heat value. Therefore the heat value will be 2.7 times as much if garbage containing 60 percent water is dehydrated to contain 30 percent water.

In conventional garbage disposal, collected garbage containing a lot of water is usually fed directly into the incinerator. In middle or larger size cities the pit-and-crane system is often used, which, in order to adjust the time lag in collecting and disposing of garbage, utilizes a pit capable of storing garbage for a few days and a grab-bucket crane capable of feeding garbage successively into the incinerator. However, poisonous gasses generated by contaminated and deteriorated water content and garbage are a source of public nuisance to the neighborhood of the garbage disposal stations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved garbage disposal system and according to this invention there is provided apparatus for dehydrating garbage comprising a pair of endless belts, a portion of the run of each belt being parallel with a portion of the run of the other belt, pressure means backing the belts along the parallel portions and forming therewith a pressure zone, and driving means coupled to a belt and operable to draw garbage into and through the pressure zone.

In order that the present invention may be well understood there will now be described an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of dehydrating apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the same apparatus in section along the line II-II ofFIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a section in the center of the apparatus to show the structure of the top and bottom chain belts;

FIG. 4 is an underneath view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view partially in section of chains to illustrate the structure thereof, and

FIG. 6 is a detail view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3.

In the drawings, a frame 1 is provided, at one side thereof, with a driving shaft 3 which is actuated through reduction gear by an electric motor 2. A pair of brackets 4 are on frame I which slidably receive bearings 6 movable by means of screw rods 5, a connecting shaft 7 being supported in those bearings. Shafts 3 and 7 carry sprockets 8 and 9 respectively, and one end of each extends beyond the same end of frame I and carries a gearwheel 10. Gearwheels I0 do not engage together, but a pair of smaller transmission gears 12 engage with each other, gears 12 being carried by arms 11 connected to the same respective ends of driving shaft 3 and shaft 7 as gears with which gears 12 engage to transmit the rotation of driving shaft 3 to shaft 7 located above.

Also on frame 1 is a shaft 16 having a pair of sprockets 15 corresponding to the pair of sprockets 8. Shaft 16 is carried in bearings 14 adjustable by a screw rod 13. A bracket 17 on the frame supports a shaft 21 carrying a pair of sprockets 20 corresponding to the pair of sprockets 9, shaft 21 being supported in bearings 19 adjustable by a screw rod 18.

A lower belt 23 has two rows of chains 22 each extending about a sprocket 8 and a sprocket 15, while a top belt of the same construction has each of two chains extending about a sprocket 9 and a sprocket 20. Each chain 22 comprises parallel plates 25 of U or V-shape coupled by roller pins 28 carrying rollers 27. In order to place the chains 22 about sprockets 8, l5 and 9, 20, the toothlike tips 26 of each link plate are arranged to face radially outwardly; roller pins 28 of each top chain and the roller pins 28 of each bottom chain 22 are in a common planein a portion of the bottom flight and of the top flight of the top belt and bottom belt respectively.

Each of the top and bottom belts includes pressure plates 30 each extending between chains 22 of the respective belt connecting both ends of the plate to inner side of said link plate and connected to each chain by a connecting plate 29, the center of each roller pin 28 being in the plane of the surface of the compression plate 30.

Each compression plate 30 has chamfered edges 31 on both ends so that adjoining plates will not jam as the belts pass round a sprocket .8, 15, 9 or 20 but will form a continuous sur face in a horizontal belt flight.

Each compression plate comprises a reinforcing rib 32 substantially of the same length as the plate and supporting ribs 33 at right angles to the reinforcing rib. Supporting ribs 33 are wider at that part 34 remote from the associated plate 30. The ribs 33 on one plate are offset relative to the ribs on the adjacent plate so that the parts 34 of adjacent plates overlap each other.

Compression rollers 35, 36 guide ribs 32, 33 of the top and bottom belts to bring plates 30 into contact. Compression rollers 35 are provided on a crossbeam. 38 at the lower part of each of a pair of brackets 37 intermediate brackets 4 and 17 while a crossbeam 40 biased by springs 38 carries compression rollers 36. Mechanical liquid or fluid biasing may be adopted for beam 410.

The dehydrating apparatus above-described operates as follows:

Electric motor 2, through the associated reduction gear drives shaft 3 and via transmission gears 12 the shaft 7. Chains 22 engaging sprockets 8 and 9 on each shaft are driven by shafts 3 and 7 and cause revolution. of the top and bottom belts.

Garbage to be dehydrated is loaded on the left (as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3) of bottom belt 23 to be conveyed to the right. As the garbage reaches the compression area where compression plates of top and bottom belts are pressed against each other by respective rows of compression rollers 35 and 36, it will be pressed and dehydrated because of constant pressure being imposed on compression rollers 36 of top belt by biasing means 39. Contaminated water from the dehydrated garbage drops down into a chute located below frame 1 for separate treatment, while the dehydrated garbage that is carried out of the compression area will be either stored in a pit or dumped directly into an incinerator.

The dehydrating apparatus described is capable of maintaining garbage under constant pressure for a desired period of time be sending garbage between two chain belts having compression plates that are pressed against each other by compression rollers located at corresponding positions above and below said top and bottom chain belts respectively, one set of said compression rollers being imposed with constant pressure by biasing means. Therefore in comparison with the conventional dehydrating method wherein instantaneous pressure is applied, the present apparatus is advantageous in that garbage freed from pressure by expanding will not absorb water not yet separated from the garbage. Furthermore, water content of dehydrated garbage will be reduced to 20 to 30 percent, thereby facilitating the next step, i,e., incineration.

No V-shape interval will occur between two adjoining compression plates when the chain belts make a turn at each sprocket, whereas in the conventional apparatus, said interval is necessarily formed between two adjoining compression plates of the top belt when it enters into the compression area as it is forced to bend to meet the bottom belt. Portions of garbage will be caught in such intervals and as a result every shaft of the apparatus will be deposited with garbage which will interfere with operation of the apparatus.

The compression plates of the top and bottom belts not only make firm contact in the compression area for good compression but also do not form V-shape intervals between two adjoining plates because: (l) each link plate of the chain is substantially U shaped and has the teeth thereof facing outward; (2) chain rollers 27 of the top and bottom belts are in a common plane within the compression area, and (3) the center of each roller pin 28 is in the plane of the surface of each compression plate.

Consequently, the top belt will not catch garbage conveyed by the bottom belt at the bend and thus the garbage will be efficiently dehydrated by continuous compression without causing impediment to the apparatus.

With the provision of ribs 32 and 33 that are located behind each compression plate and that are brought in contact with top and bottom compression rollers 35 and 36 provided on the crossbeams of brackets 37, the resistance of each compression plate against bending will be increased. The wider parts 34 of supporting ribs 33 overlap adjacent parts 34 to form a surface against which the top and bottom compression rollers bear so that a direct and even pressure is distributed to effectively conduct a large volume of garbage for continuous dehydration.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for dehydrating garbage comprising a pair of endless belts, a portion of the run of each belt being parallel with a portion of the run of the other belt, pressure means backing the belts along the parallel portions and forming therewith a pressure zone, and driving means coupled to a belt and operable to draw garbage into and through the pressure zone, said belts each including a pair of chains each passing around two sprockets, each chain comprising pairs of parallel spaced links concave in elevation, the concavity being directly outwards relative to the chain path, and each pair of links supporting a pair of rollers each extending between the outwardly projecting ends of the links, pressure plates extending between the chains of the belt.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each roller has its axis in the plane of a pressure plate and the axes of the rollers of the chains of both belts lie in a common plane in the said parallel portions of each belt.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each pressure plate has parallel edges, chamfered on the face directed away from the other belt.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each plate has, on the face directed inwardly of the belt path, reinforcing ribs parallel to the direction of travel, that part of each rib remote from the plate being wider than the plate and the ribs of adjacent plates being offset and overlapping to present, in the parallel portions of the belts, a continuous pressure face engageable by the rollers.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each plate has, on the face directed inwardly of the belt path, a reinforcement extending normal to the direction of travel. 

1. Apparatus for dehydrating garbage comprising a pair of endless belts, a portion of the run of each belt being parallel with a portion of the run of the other belt, pressure means backing the belts along the parallel portions and forming therewith a pressure zone, and driving means coupled to a belt and operable to draw garbage into and through the pressure zone, said belts each including a pair of chains each passing around two sprockets, each chain comprising pairs of parallel spaced links concave in elevation, the concavity being directly outwards relative to the chain path, and each pair of links supporting a pair of rollers each extending between the outwardly projecting ends of the links, pressure plates extending between the chains of the belt.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each roller has its axis in the plane of a pressure plate and the axes of the rollers of the chains of both belts lie in a common plane in the said parallel portions of each belt.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each pressure plate has parallel edges, chamfered on the face directed away from the other belt.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each plate has, on the face directed inwardly of the belt path, reinforcing ribs parallel to the direction of travel, that part of each rib remote from the plate being wider than the plate and the ribs of adjacent plates being offset and overlapping to present, in the parallel portions of the belts, a continuous pressure face engageable by the rollers.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each plate has, on the face directed inwardly of the belt path, a reinforcement extending normal to the direction of travel. 